When most people talk of wine tastings in California, thoughts immediately turn to Napa Valley. But Northern California isn’t the only place where natives and tourists can sample a delicious spectrum of wines! Southern California has its fair share of great wineries and tasting rooms where anyone can learn to enjoy a lovely glass of wine and take their first step towards becoming an aficionado!
Anne’s Boutique Wines
Anne’s Boutique Wines specializes in small production wines, hard-to-find wines and excellent half bottles. Their selections of wines are handpicked from hundreds of wines tasted weekly, with only a lucky few making it to the shelves. Anne’s Boutique Wines holds blind wine tasting events multiple times a year (a great date night idea!) where patrons can let their palates, and not the labels, dictate their favorites. Need another reason to visit Anne’s? Several Costa Mesa area restaurants will let diners bring their own wine from Anne’s Boutique Wines and will waive the corkage fee!
Click here to see scheduled tastings and what wine is this week’s featured sample.
270 E. 17th Street, Ste. 14
Costa Mesa, CA 92627
Hi-Times Wine Cellars
Hi-Times Wine Cellars has one of the largest underground, temperature-controlled wine cellars in the U.S. This 3,000-square-foot underground temperature-controlled cellar now includes a selection of 10,000+ wines from many different wineries and vintages. Hi-Time’s wine bar is open Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Wine Stations are open daily and use a tasting card where customers can select a taste, half glass or glass of featured wines. There is also a beer tasting on the third Wednesday of every month and cheese classes on the second Wednesday.
250 Ogle Street
Costa Mesa, CA 92627
Wine Lab at The CAMP
Wine Lab has expanded from its original Newport Beach location and has recently opened up its first Costa Mesa wine shop at The CAMP. With three wine-tasting flights (from test tubes!) and over 30 wines by the glass, patrons can also dine on small cheese plates and freshly baked bread from the Sadie Rose Baking Company. What makes Wine Lab really unique? Not only are the wines chosen for their freshness and quality, they are usually made by artisan wineries especially for wine-focused bars and their wine is on tap!
2937 Bristol St. Suite A101B
Costa Mesa, CA 92626
Newport Beach Vineyards and Winery
Newport Beach Vineyards and Winery sits on three-and-a-half acres of land perched on the Upper Newport Bay. Over 1,200 Bordeaux-style grape vines (Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Petit Verdot and Malbec) are harvested, crushed and fermented each September to produce award-winning red wine. Tours of the 1,000-square-foot underground “Wine Cave” are given upon request. Book a private tour and tasting in their wine cave (8 to 20 people) for $35 a person. The tour includes four tastings of Newport Beach Vineyards and Winery’s California Meritage red wine blends and includes a generous cheese board with nuts, fruit and fresh-baked bread.
2128 Mesa Drive
Newport Beach, CA 92660
Orange Coast Winery
Calling themselves an “Urban Micro-Winery,” Orange Coast Winery’s tasting room is open to the public on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from noon until 5 PM. For only $10.00 you can taste any six wines and keep the Logo Wine Glass.
Using the finest grapes from renowned wine growers across several California wine-growing regions, Orange Coast Winery produces wines such as California Beach Blend White, California Sauvignon Blanc, Beach Bubbly, California Merlot, California Zinfandel and Lodi Petite Syrah.
869 West 16th Street
Newport Beach, CA 92663
After your tasting, you can use your newfound wine knowledge to impress your guests the next time you’re having dinner at a Costa Mesa restaurant!
